134 SECRETS OF SHAMANISMunless they are free to do so; likewise, the spirit must be free
to journey in order to bring back needed information. And
at the same time, the spirit world must be free to give or not
to give as it sees fit. When you demand that the order of
things be a particular and exact way to suit your goals, with-
out allowing any flexibility, you are attached in such a way as
to create an imbalance that leads to a loss of power. When
you lose power you diminish your success.
What is required is a letting-go of expectations. To be
successful you need to first set a goal and be as specific as
you can describing it. Paradoxically, you then need to let go
completely of your picture about both the specifics of your
goal and how that goal is to be achieved. You need to state
your goal, but then surrender to the higher forces of nature
and your spirit self. This concept of surrender is also impor-
tant in bringing possessions and experiences into your life.
Lena and I and our two children camped in the desert
region of Southern California where the mountains are
rich in minerals and mining is still very much alive. As the
family walked up a steep canyon one late afternoon,
Lena looked down and amidst the colorful desert rock
she spotted a small piece of quartz, not a clear crystal,
but quartz nevertheless. She gave this whitish iridescent
rock to her son Carlos, five, who was standing next to her.
Anna, the seven-year-old, very quickly decided that she
also ought to have a piece of quartz and asked her
mother to look for another one. "I'll certainly try but I can't
guarantee anything," responded Lena to the somewhat
demanding plea from her daughter. 'You know, the one I
found was probably just washed down from the canyon.
And besides, it isn't a really clear piece," she added, try-
ing to placate her. Anna, having been raised with the sha-
manic perspective since she was bom, replied, "Well, I'm
going to ask the mountain spirit to give me a gift; I would
really like it to be a crystal and I don't really care how big
it is or even if it's very nice. But I think the mountain spirit
will hear me."
The family became silent for a few moments, noticing
the deep rich colors of the rock mountain as the setting
sun bathed it in its golden light. It was time now to turn
back before dusk, so they headed down the ravine, back
the way they had come up, being careful to avoid the
thorny cacti growing between the rocks.
Suddenly Anna stopped and picked something up by
her left foot. It was a beautiful piece of white rock with two